Almost
by Isolith
Summary: It's one of those things where years can go by, contact to a minimum, and yet when you meet up it's as if no time has passed at all. Sharon Raydor/Madeline Morgan.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: An attempt at a Sharon Raydor/Madeline Morgan thingy. _

_Summary: It's one of those things where years can go by, contact to a minimum, and yet when you meet up it's as if no time has passed at all. Sharon/Madeline._

…

**Almost**

…

"You don't call, you don't write," Madeline Morgan threw out in greeting as she hovered in Sharon Raydor's office door opening. Madeline leaned her shoulder against the door post, the open door and open blinds inviting and the woman inside beckoning forth some kind of reunion.

The other woman looked up, a glint of mischief hidden behind her glasses. Madeline crossed her arms in a loose fashion as she regarded the woman behind the desk, a sly smile at the circumstances of life.

Sharon Raydor was an artist when it came to smiling; that was what always stood out in Madeline's recollection of the woman. After a decade Madeline was still fascinated by the variety of smiles on the Captain's face that could convey a vast range of emotions. This time the answering smile on Sharon's face looked to be an alloy of sorts, apologetic and yet engaging.

"I could say the same about you, Madeline," came the dulcet reply.

Madeline shook her head in wry amusement, "I'm not the one who has disappeared off the face of the earth."

Sharon pursed her lips, "I am exactly where I have always been."

"Oh, that is funny," Madeline delivered in a sarcastic tone, her smile still in place, "because that could not be farther from the truth."

That got her a lifted eyebrow.

Madeline continued, "Two years is a long time, I'll give you that Sharon, but to say nothing's changed, that's taking it a bit too far, hmm. You are most certainly not buried under the paperwork of the whole Internal Affairs division or complaining about the low moral standards on the force. You have in fact joined the dark side."

The comment brought a smirk out on Sharon's face, the feature familiar and warm in its own right.

"Dependent on view, some would say I have been rescued from the dark side."

"I see the hot-heads of homicide have already gotten to you."

"Oh, not in the slightest. I'm merely climbing a bit further up the ladder," the woman paused and then perfected what Madeline used to think of as a disarming smirk, "You should try it."

Madeline shook her head, "Ah, insults from the police. Always a delight."

Sharon simply shrugged, "I hate to disappoint you."

"Oh, you never do."

They shared a smile, one that seemed to display more familiarity than people would have guessed from merely observing it.

Sharon shrugged, apologetic again, "I am truly sorry, Madeline. I have been an awful friend - ,"

Madeline quickly interrupted her, "I know how it goes with a new job description."

Sharon nodded.

Madeline chuckled, "But oh boy, did I feel like a fool last month when I called Internal Affairs, expecting you on the line. To my surprise it was one of your horrid trolls who answered. Rude to his boots, that one."

"Knowing you, I'm certain you were rude first. Probably in what he would refer to as lawyer-language."

Madeline lifted her own eyebrow, contenting to receiving the exact twin from Sharon.

"I guess I should congratulate you, yes?" Madeline paused to shake her head, "even if it's a couple of years too late."

Sharon's smile turned a sheepish color at that.

"Why don't you come in, Counselor?" Sharon said, her pale slender fingers pushing aside papers on her desk. She tilted her head and Madeline knew that look all too well; conniving and endearing simultaneously.

Madeline shook her head, "Oh, I can't stay. Barry Lawrence is far from the only citizen who received a special visit from the LAPD today."

Sharon's lips pursed again, whether in pique or in acknowledgment was hard to garner. "Hmm," was the woman's only reply.

Madeline stood up straight, "Drinks, later?"

Sharon smiled in affirmation, incandescent and secretive. The nod was miniscule and hardly distinguishable but Madeline caught it.

She smiled back and gave the woman a little wink before she turned around. She strode through the squad room, mindful of the gazes that followed her movement; she threw in another wink for the show, enjoying the reaction it got her. The LAPD was the same whether she traipsed through traffic or through major crimes; most had a low tolerance for attorneys.

…

Later became the day after, late in the evening and a LAPD Captain that looked a bit swamped with life in general.

Madeline could only smile about the turn of events, the vague excuse of attending a Christmas ballet the evening before and then something about a foster son and a pending trial. Sharon always had good excuses even if she had never been good about expounding upon them.

No, Sharon never explained to the fullest. No, Madeline had to hear them second-hand from Gavin Baker, sometimes Hobbs – or even that gnat whose name she always forgot because the man was so boring. Sometimes, she got the news from no other than their friendly Judge Grove.

Good old Grove, Madeline thought. The judge had always had a soft spot for Sharon Raydor which in itself wasn't much of a mystery. Sharon had a way of inspiring the people around her, even more so when you got to know her personally. The cop who was well-versed in the finer points of the law; every attorney's wet dream to speak the truth. Then to top it, she was pleasing on the eye and always in control of her emotions.

Sharon was late.

A very unusual feat that transferred into Madeline nervously twirling the wine glass in front of her, sipping continuously until the glass was empty and she had to get it refilled.

The bar was new. The old usual place, the haunt where they had met up a number of times, had closed up last year; something about the economy and its owners being financially impaired.

Ten minutes later and Sharon came striding into the bar, looking as immaculate as ever. The view was exquisite from the moment the other woman came through the glass door till she sat down in front of Madeline in the back of the wine bar, the back room more out of sight and with lower lighting. Madeline enjoyed looking. The obligatory sleek high heels, the requisite pencil skirt that seemed snug and exposed enough of Sharon's legs that Madeline couldn't help but smirk, not to mention a blue colored silk shirt that fit nicely in shade. Madeline had almost – with a heavy emphasis on the almost – forgotten how much she enjoyed playing dress up with Sharon. The legs however, she had never forgotten. She still remembered the feel of the muscles beneath her fingers, the soft skin under her palm, thighs tight around her waist, warm against her head when she had made the other woman come.

Sharon sat primly across from her, sipping white wine with an air of precaution. This time her smile seemed tired and yet her appearance was graceful as always.

Madeline smiled wider, amused that even now Sharon Raydor blushed when you looked at her with obvious interest.

"You are late," Madeline told her.

"I had to deal with a security issue," the woman answered vaguely.

Madeline let it go and instead she tipped her wine glass for a salute. They shared soft cheers and took a prolonged sip.

"I am still affronted you are not in Internal Affairs anymore," Madeline commented with humor.

Sharon made a vague gesture with one hand, "Oh, don't you start now."

"I am just saying that your promotion is a great lost to Internal Affairs, a great loss to the soul of the force."

Sharon smiled knowingly, "You've had recent run-ins with someone from my former division, haven't you? A disagreement that didn't work out to your favor?"

"Oh, yes. That awful troll who answers the phone, horrid beyond measure. Lacking in every facet in comparison to his former boss."

Sharon smiled, a satisfied and proud smile.

"So, I hear you have acquired a third child?" Madeline shook her head with a muted smirk.

"It's a long story."

"And you don't think I would be interested in it?"

"You've never taken a particular interest in my two other kids."

Madeline smiled, "No, I haven't. I have always been more interested in undressing you."

Sharon blushed again and Madeline smiled to herself.

…

_Sharon Raydor played with the stem of her empty wine glass, a remnant of burgundy liquid in the bottom being twirled around at the motion. The sheets on the bed were soft – silk with a high thread count if she had to guess. She watched the single little drop in the bottom of the handcrafted wine glass, the way it trailed a pellucid sheen of red after it. She could still taste the wine on her tongue, her lower lip dry when she licked it. Dry and bitter and possibly stained red, slightly swollen too she attested, the imprint of lips still vivid. She couldn't contain a smile, giddiness at remembering kissing and kissing ad absurdum, one kiss more drugging and exorbitant than the one preceding it. Her lips still tingled like the rest of her body hummed in content. _

_The thought of reapplying lipstick was brief but there. The bed however, was too comfortable to leave. _

_She pursed her lips in contemplation, head on her arm as she continued to lie on her stomach, legs leisurely swinging softly in the air. She felt free for the first time in years, as if somehow she had shed years off her frame, or maybe just the baggage of earlier disappointments in life. She felt younger, delightfully so._

"_Are you always this quiet after sex?"_

_Sharon smiled to herself before she lazily looked over her shoulder. The other woman – the red-head, the attorney, well, her lover for the night – was giving her a curious glance, cross-legged and naked at the end of the bed, her own wine glass empty as well. The woman's lips were stained in the same fashion that Sharon imagined her own lips were, a similarity that out of the blue quivered through the muscles of her stomach not unlike arousal. _

_Wine and sex was a glorious combination, Sharon thought, especially in the right combination and with the right partner. Inevitably she briefly thought of Jack and the last time they had engaged in intimacy. It was lacking, that much she could remember, bittersweet, somehow. _

_It was at least a decade since she had felt comfortable mixing the two with him. She had no intentions of drinking with an alcoholic and sex was always either shaped out of remorse or anger; it never amounted to the level of satisfying that left her feeling rejuvenated._

_Sharon shook her head, "Not usually."_

_The other woman smiled, and then with her eyes exclusively centered on Sharon, the red-head moved a finger along Sharon's exposed leg, the pad of her index finger soon followed by the dance of two more fingers, steeping through Sharon's skin and leaving invisible marks. _

_The touch made her giddy. _

"_More wine?" Madeline asked her in a low tone, the palm of her hand passing the back of Sharon's knee and going up her thigh. The touch stopped her breath and Sharon closed her eyes, anticipation tingling, the slow path the other woman's finger made up along her inner thigh, warm and sensual._

_Sharon smiled and gave a nod in answer. She then watched the naked woman leave the two empty wine glasses on the night stand, her hand briefly running down Sharon's spine before she left the bedroom and walked out of view. _

_The bedroom was light and airy, cool colors and the panoramic window afforded an expensive view to the Pacific Ocean. Sharon found herself lost in the serene view to the seascape, lost in the afterglow of sex and the peaceful knowledge that no one knew her here. LA was at least a couple of hours away and her phone had neatly been turned off for the duration of the week; being the head of F.I.D had its benefits and being a newly appointed high-ranking LAPD Captain had even greater benefits._

_Madeline traipsed back into the bedroom, an infectious smirk and a whole new decanted Ripasso, the color rich in the crystalline glass carafe. Sharon watched Madeline as she poured a generous amount in the two wine glasses on the night stand, the slightly unfamiliar features and the delicate skin, the clash of the woman's red hair against her pale skin and the reddish tinge on her shoulders and neck that looked to be on the brink of a sunburn. The woman had sharp angles, blue eyes and small but slightly protruding lips. Smaller breasts than Sharon and a smaller waist, more freckles on her arms and larger feet. _

_It was a curious thing to watch the other woman in this way, curious to simply watch a woman in this way. Curious because Sharon found herself entirely too pleased about the whole event. Curious because delicate curves and soft flesh felt wondrous to touch – to behold. Curious because she couldn't remember coming this many times in a row before. _

_Curious because the attorney had by far been the most fascinating thing to happen in a long time, curious because Sharon already knew the name that went along with the stranger approaching her table last night. Madeline Morgan, the up and coming, the one who seemed to be on the same level of disregard as Sharon when it came to police gossip. A marvelous defender – Gavin had spoken of her on and off, mostly to point out the many ways in which the woman annoyed him when she won against him in court. However dear that man was to Sharon's heart, he was a sour loser indeed._

_Madeline sat back down on the end of the bed again, once again cross-legged and this time sipping her wine with a glance that left flutters beneath Sharon's skin._

_Sharon gulped down a substantial amount of red wine and closed her eyes in pleasure. The other woman was caressing her leg again, having caught it in its pendulum swing and stopped its motion with a simple touch._

_The woman followed her touch with soft lips, ghostlike at first until it evolved to harder nips and more pronounced kisses, up along her calf, retracing the same path that the woman had traced before she had left to acquire more wine. The same path that elicited arousal to dance and burn, flounder and otherwise spiral through Sharon's body._

_She ended up feeling aflamed by the time she felt the other woman kiss the side of her neck. The red-head was heavy up top of Sharon's spine even if her frame was slight, legs against the side of Sharon's knees and pushing her legs apart – not that she needed the encouragement. _

_The touch of two fingers, long and slender, her clit in between the digits as Madeline slid them up and down her clit, it was ecstasy and agony._

_Arousal slick like lava, molten and hot, impatiently awaiting release bouldered through Sharon, merciless and with no regard for heightened sensibility. Heightened by that exquisite taste of bitter wine; heightened by earlier touch. _

…

"We should keep in touch," Madeline told Sharon when they waited outside the bar on the curb, both hanging back and pretending they were not trying to prolong the night, pretending not to see the furtive glances that passed between them.

"We should," Sharon repeated in dulcet tones, another one of her secretive, puzzling smiles in play before she stepped in close to Madeline and in a surprising gesture bestowed a soft kiss on Madeline's lips.

Madeline took the last step and closed the space between them, more comfortable with tracing the other woman's jaw line and deepening the kiss.

It was almost worth waiting two years for.

…

Hope you enjoyed it =)


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Felt like writing some more seeing I ended up giving myself shippy feelings, for no reason whatsoever. Hope you enjoy =)_

…

**Part 2**

…

"So," Madeline wondered out aloud as she took in the decor, the tone playful, "have you considered how _illicit_ everything becomes once you do something in a hotel room? However fancy the establishment? Obviously this is not some dingy motel, and yet, even the Ritz Carlton seems to be able to cover a multitude of sins."

Sharon Raydor was well into the hotel suite, her coat open and flowing behind her as she neared the windows with the view to the Marina. The woman turned on her heels at the comment, one hand poised gracefully on her hip and a delicate eyebrow that seemed to waver between amused and affronted as she looked back at Madeline.

Madeline closed the hotel suite door behind her, locking it carefully as she regarded the other woman out of the public eye.

Sharon had opted for red today.

The color was striking in its vivacity. In the glow of dusk, the turquoise sky darkening outside and the Marina glowing orange, the color was altogether alluring. Sinful in the way the color lit up the other woman's expression, in the way the red lips complemented the appearance. Madeline had spent an inordinate amount of time perusing tiny fantasies of undressing Sharon throughout dinner, her eyes on the hem of the dress and the pale show of legs, the contrast between clothed and naked tantalizing.

She had been left wondering whether Sharon had matched her underwear to the red soles of her heels. When Madeline pretended to peal the dress away she imagined a red bra to match, sheer and thin in her mind, the color in a slightly different tone of red than the dress.

Sharon sounded circumspect when she replied, "I hardly think we are about to engage in anything illicit." The woman's eyebrow lifted another inch and this time it was surely painted in wry amusement, "unless you define having sex with me as illicit. In which case I think I will have to object, Counselor."

Madeline shook her head and took another step inside the suite, "I am imagining a lot of illicit things we can do."

Sharon's smile was sly, "Are we going to commit a felony from this very hotel suite? Plan a heist? Because I'm not sure this establishment has the required amenities for such activities. We should have gone to a hardware store then, Madeline."

Madeline shrugged out of her coat and she folded it over the arm of a chair. She watched Sharon do the same, her coat nicely folded with a delicate gesture.

"You are married if you recall, and it's not to me," Madeline told the other woman in a nonchalant voice and then without looking up to catch the reaction, she placed her black purse on the round glass top table between the two sets of high-backed chairs, the fabric a muted blue color. When she looked up, Sharon was wearing a stony expression, unwavering and devoid of emotion.

Madeline unbuttoned her two buttons blazer, aware she was threading on thin ice. You never knew what the other woman would take as an insult and what she would laugh off. Usually they never mentioned the elusive husband. The blazer joined the coat on the chair and Madeline smiled softly at the other woman.

"Adultery is an illicit affair, for some," Madeline commented casually with another smile directed at Sharon to take some of the sting off the comment.

Still, Sharon looked as emotive as a stone.

The other woman looked around the room, eyes shrouded by the low light. When she spoke, her voice was dismissive, "If we came here to discuss my marital status, Madeline, I think your choice of facility is rather misplaced. Why go through the pretense of dinner if you simply wanted to point out that -,"

Madeline quickly interrupted; "You were adamant that your place was out of the question, Sharon." She approached the other woman, one hand out.

Sharon did not shy away from the touch, so at the least she wasn't offended beyond fixing.

"My home is as much my foster son's as it is mine," was the vague answer.

"You could have invited me over for dinner, simply."

"You are inefficient when it comes to casual conversation," Sharon gave back, a very small smile at the corner of her mouth, "and we both know dinner is the last thing you wanted to be invited to. I make it a rule not to have my," she faltered for a short second, obviously stumped by what to call Madeline and their relationship.

Madeline laughed, and brushed a finger against the other woman's neck, leaning in and slowly kissing lips that protruded and harrumphed before they likewise parted and gave in to the kiss.

"I have never cared about your dead-beat husband or your marital status," Madeline whispered near Sharon's ear, her hands soothing the other woman as they slipped around the waist of the deep red dress. The fabric was sturdy and soft. The scent familiar and the warmth a tingling promise. "Why would I start now? I have you all to myself, what more can I ask for?"

Sharon hummed in reply, disgruntled in some fashion but she still kissed Madeline back, lips full and sticky with immaculate lipstick.

Madeline gently steered them towards the large bed, the dark oak headboard just visible behind a mountain of pillows, the throw in stately golden and blue colors. She backed Sharon into the mattress, enjoying the other woman's noise of surprise when the back of her knees hit the mattress.

"I want you here," Madeline admitted, her voice husky, "I wanted you someplace I could have you for myself, without any obnoxious interruptions. Just you and me, no outside world. I thought this would be a nice place, hmm. Especially considering all that awful business with practically being on house arrest with your foster son. I thought you deserved a little break after all that hassle."

Sharon responded with a heavy kiss, insistent and satisfied.

Madeline kissed her back, equally enthusiastic to finally be able to touch and kiss the other woman.

Sharon slipped her arms around to Madeline's back and started to unzip the grey dress, drawing the zipper down the line of her back, her lips demanding against Madeline's.

"It's a perfect place," Sharon replied, her voice breathy from kissing.

"I wanted to dine you first because I enjoy the way you enjoy good food," Madeline took a hold of the other woman's wrists and placed them back along her body, her own hands trailing over Sharon's shoulder.

"Turn around."

Sharon obeyed, slowly and with a quirked eyebrow that was once again amused.

Madeline pushed the other woman's hair aside and slipped it over one shoulder. The small clasp on the top of the red dress was easily slipped out of its grasp, revealing the zipper. Madeline pulled it down as she leaned in close to the shell of Sharon's ear,

"Is that a shiver, darling?"

Sharon hummed.

"Anticipation?"

Madeline felt the way the other woman moved an inch backwards, her behind more firmly pushed into Madeline.

"I haven't socialized much in the last two years," the words were low and honeyed but Madeline caught the little gist of resignation in them as well, "Call it impatience, hmm."

"Oh," Madeline replied, not keeping the surprise from her voice, her lips widening in an amused smile, "Not even with yourself?"

This got her a laugh.

Sharon shook her head and pulled Madeline's arms around her from behind, fingers tangled, "I didn't say I was completely celibate, now did I?"

Madeline kissed the other woman's neck, a soft kiss before she pulled the zipper down to the low point of Sharon's spine. She reached up and pulled the dress from Sharon shoulders, down her torso, eyes zoned in on the nude bra strap in the back.

Not red, apparently.

Madeline leaned in and kissed the point between the other woman's shoulder blades before she dragged the snug dress down over the woman's hips and down over her ass. The band of underwear was nude as well, peach and transparent.

The dress pooled around Sharon's heels.

Madeline pressed herself against Sharon's back, her own dress still in place but gaping wide in the back. She kissed the fine line from neck to shoulder, turning her head and placing her lips to the side of the woman's throat, her hands sneaking around and fastening to full breasts.

Sharon took a deep breath.

"I have missed you," Madeline admitted.

Sharon hummed in agreement and pushed her behind into Madeline again.

Madeline took a step back and quickly got rid of her own dress while she watched Sharon step out of the red dress around her ankles, the look the woman threw over her shoulder as she folded the dress nothing but smug. The louboutins' Sharon left by the foot of the bed, the red dress on a chair and Madeline watched the other woman make herself comfortable on the bed, not bothering with the cover but simply lying atop the bedding.

No, the cop simply put her head in her hand, elbow out, one leg draped across the other as she watched Madeline, tongue briefly out to wet her red lips.

Her toenails were painted the same red as the dress. The same red as her lipstick.

Sharon Raydor had a fetish for coordinating her appearance down to the last detail.

The peach nude fit nicely with the shade of red.

Madeline smiled and approached the bed, her own heels discarded by the heap of her grey dress.

She crawled atop the covers, her eyes on the length of the other woman's body till she was face to face with Sharon. The other woman had turned over to lie on her back, her lower lip under her teeth as she nudged Madeline with a leg. Sharon stared up at her with slightly parted lips and a warm breath that gave away the flavor of chocolate dessert.

"I want to devour you the way you licked the chocolate from your spoon, slow and deliberate," Madeline said before she lowered her head and caught a warm kiss. "The way you kissed the rim of your wine glass, leisurely and with promise," she continued as their kiss paused, catching Sharon's wrists and bringing them up above the woman so she could hold Sharon down while she straddled her.

"Like the way you touched my knee under the tablecloth, teasing and fully aware of your effect."

Sharon smiled, "Can we just do it fast first? I am not sure I can deal with slow and deliberate right now."

"Whatever you want," Madeline said with another kiss, this time lost in the other woman's lips.

The kiss continued as they tangled their limbs, as they got rid of underwear and bra's, lips molded together, wet and warm. Sharon was eager, Madeline could tell, the woman's hands demanding and her lips even more so. There was the taste of chocolate still, on the tip of the woman's tongue and she enjoyed the breathy sound that Sharon kissed with, to the edge of Madeline's mouth, down her jaw to the her neck, nipping along the skin before she came back to Madeline's mouth.

Sharon whimpered when Madeline traced the trimmed curls and then slid her fingers along the other woman's folds, slick with moisture. Madeline teased around Sharon's entrance, aware that the kiss became a bit more hurried for a reason.

The kiss ended on a moan and Madeline kissed her way down Sharon's chest and instead latched onto a nipple. It had the desired effect, Sharon arching underneath her.

The woman was soon moaning and writhing beneath her. Madeline could see the exposed throat and the parted lips when she slid two fingers in Sharon and trailed the nipple between her teeth.

…

"_Captain Raydor."_

"_Counselor," Sharon greeted the other woman, unconsciously blushing, "what a pleasure."_

_The lawyer seemed to swallow the words with pride, "Pleasure indeed."_

_Sharon pressed her lips together, trying to act as if she was not thinking about the word pleasure in combination with the woman standing opposite her. The café was just around the corner from the district attorney's offices, the place a well-known haunt that catered to the many attorneys of Los Angeles. Sharon wondered why she had chosen this place out of a dozen other cafés._

_Madeline Morgan rolled her eyes, her sharp mouth depicting some form of morbid satisfaction at having stumbled into Sharon here of all places. _

"_Fancy meeting you here," Madeline said, voice still an octave too smug._

"_Et tu," Sharon flirted back in a fashion that had her grinding her teeth after the fact. _

_The woman's smile only widened and she pointed at two comfy looking lounging chairs in the back of the café, "Why don't you sit down – I'll get us some coffee."_

_Sharon crossed her arms._

_Madeline continued to smile, friendly and apparently unabashed, "Cappuccino? Or are you a caffe latte girl?"_

"_Make it a double espresso cappuccino," Sharon replied, trying not to show how out of her comfort zone she felt. _

_The lawyer smiled and then made another shooing motion towards the back and the lounge area._

_Sharon shrugged as she turned and made her way down to the chairs. _

_She placed her briefcase by the floor, sat down and then pretended she was not eyeing Madeline Morgan by the queue to the coffee bar counter. The red head was in a sharp black dress, cut above her knees and by design narrowed in by her waist. The dress had a neckline that exposed her collar bones and the top of her chest. The heels were black as well, not as tall as Sharon's and not the same designer either. The woman would have looked like she was going to a funeral but something about her curly red hair seemed to contrast the dark clothes well. _

_Sharon blushed when the woman looked down at the back area, her eyes on Sharon with a peculiar look._

_Sharon tried a friendly smile but she wasn't sure it was convincing; the lawyer only seemed amused. After that failure, Sharon tried to occupy herself with going over her recent case as she waited, her wrist watch entirely too fascinating as she rolled up the sleeve of her blazer an umpteenth times._

_After five minutes Madeline sat down next to Sharon, the woman setting down two identical cups of cappuccino on the table between them._

_Sharon took the biscotto on the coffee plate and dipped it into the foam, quickly biting off the top of the soaked biscuit. She chewed and smiled politely at the red head in between bites. _

_Madeline was once again staring, overtly nonetheless, her own cappuccino seemingly forgotten._

_Sharon took her own coffee cup and quickly took a sip, trying to come up with a conversation starter that did not involve the self-indulgent weekend of sex she had engaged in with the lawyer. Somehow she thought it was better to start with a safer topic._

"_You look beautiful," Madeline stated still eyeing Sharon._

_Sharon smiled graciously, "Thank you."_

"_So, hypothetical question – seeing you look dressed to the nines and I assume we are both off the clock, does this impromptu meeting in a café qualify as a date? Or do you prefer dinners in a real restaurant?"_

_Sharon swallowed another slurp of her coffee._

"_I'm married," Sharon told the red head in a rushed breath._

_The information erased all kinds of smiles on the lawyer's face. Instead the red head focused on her cappuccino and hid her hurt expression behind the cup. _

_The reaction made Sharon's stomach roil and she desperately tried to douse the nervousness she felt, "I mean, I am separated. I am not living with him, or anything," she gave a small laugh that sounded forced, "Haven't slept with him in god's knows how long."_

_Her face felt aflame from embarrassment. Why in the world was she telling this to a complete stranger?_

"_It's complicated," Sharon ended her ramble._

"_Him?" Madeline repeated, the coffee cup once again forgotten on the table. "Him as in a guy?"_

_Sharon nodded._

_Madeline seemed to take in the information, and then she smiled all of a sudden._

_The lawyer laughed, genuinely, "Yes, I think complicated qualifies."_

_Sharon smiled into her coffee cup, relieved somehow, and then she looked up and admitted, "Complicated aside, I do enjoy coffee and I like dinner."_

"_Well, as long as you're seperated," Madeline said, "and not involved with the guy."_

_Sharon nodded, hiding her blush better this time at the notion of sitting across from this woman in this setting. _

_Madeline leaned forward, her hand landing on Sharon's knee, "I would very much like to see you again."_

_Sharon smiled, "The feeling is mutual."_

_They said their goodbyes outside the café._

_Sharon found herself liking the other woman's eyes and the way it felt like they hung onto her._

_The kiss, however flirtatious their impromptu coffee date had gotten, surprised her. _

_It was warm and bitter, the tang of coffee effervescent. _

…

Madeline had missed this sorely, almost to the point where it pained.

Lying naked next to the other woman, entangled in the aftermath of sex, skin still damp and warm, touch on the edge of tumbling into heightened arousal. To be able to run her hand down the other woman's back, to caress the slopes of breasts, skipping nipples and instead softly applying pressure.

Aftermath kisses that were slow and lazy, tangible and warm just like the rest of their bodies.

That instant before skin cooled and they slipped under the covers. That instant after and it was a furnace beneath covers. That instant before Sharon fell asleep.

Madeline had missed being able to make the other woman come.

The smile on Sharon's face afterwards.

The way the woman expressed her feelings through a kiss after her climax.

The soft conversations between sex, lying in a darkened bedroom, cuddling and speaking about the little things in life.

…


	3. Chapter 3

…

**Part 3**

…

The wooden ceiling, white exposed beams, was bathed in the soft light of the early morning sun, the wide gap between the thin curtains that ran from the ceiling to the floor permitting a slip of light. Wind from an open window danced in among the fabric, the curtain rustling as it moved inwards and swept with it air smelling faintly of the sea. The light shimmered in Sharon's hair as the woman licked Madeline's sex, the other woman's hands in a gentle caress above Madeline's trimmed patch of pubic hair. Golden and reddish, deep chocolate and shimmery bronze, captivating as Madeline looked on with parted lips and a noticeable pant.

Was there a better way to bring in morning and a new day than with one orgasm already in house, the next one rolling up with a promise of tidal proportion?

Madeline licked her lower lip, her eyelids closing of their own accord, darkness prompt. Every impression but Sharon's mouth on her clit floundered away; losing in court against David Ahmed, the boring, self-important jerk who'd had the audacity to invite Madeline out for a congratulatory coffee; the heated discussion with Sharon Raydor the night before that had only ended in perturbed annoyance and a half-assed, passive-aggressive attempt at sex; the slight pounding in her right temple that still persisted and threatened to break out in a fully fledged ache. Madeline left it all behind – shoved it forcefully away – and instead she concentrated solely on the approaching second orgasm.

It peaked through the haze of the last one, promising to be even sharper in its plunging break.

Madeline had woken up to an amorous Sharon Raydor nuzzling her small nose against the nook of Madeline's neck, her full lips leaving deep kisses along Madeline's jaw and her slender fingers caressing the side of Madeline's inner thigh in a manner that only expedited arousal to quiver through Madeline's lower abdomen, tightening and blossoming on top of already heightened senses. Perhaps horny was a more apt description of the woman, Madeline mused.

The white sheet they had slept with throughout the humid night, now tangled in their legs and between their bodies, the stark white material cool against the nude color of skin. A barrier until Sharon swept it away with a sly smile, the play of light in her eyes momentarily reminding Madeline of a feline, cunning and playful.

No, with her eyes closed Madeline's senses were more alert. There was only the igniting sensation of Sharon's head between her inner thighs, Madeline's feet sliding down the woman's hips and buttocks as she let out tension through flexing the muscles in her calves, enjoying being able to feel the body of her lover beneath her skin. The bed was thankfully large enough, Sharon outstretched, her toes just on the brink of the bed. Darkness was full with her eyes closed, and as such there was only the touch of lips and tongue, nipping gently and kissing with fervor, licking a path that tumbled into Madeline like waves on the shore. Every lick hit home, every touch made her stomach quiver and every kiss curled through her body in ecstasy.

When two fingers teased around her opening and then slipped in deep before going out and then going in again, wet lips sucking Madeline's clit into velvety softness, the pressure inside Madeline's body skyrocketed and for a split second Madeline felt unable to move by the sheer intensity of it.

Sharon's slender fingers went in and out, in and out – a pause as the woman shifted her body and found a more suitable angle before she resumed, in and out, her mouth alternating between different strokes, licking in precise patterns that felt deliberate to the point of insane.

Madeline forgot to breathe, air caught in her chest and her hips rose slightly as she tried as inconspicuously as possible to bring more contact between her clit and Sharon's mouth, the warmth of her own center and that of Sharon's mouth delirious.

Sharon hastened her tempo; she licked more deliberately and stroked the inside of Madeline's walls as she slid her fingers in and out, the friction of the curling digits enough to push Madeline to the edge of contractions. Madeline could feel the inner muscles of her vagina tense up, building momentum to squeeze around Sharon's fingers, just on the very tipping point of clamping down.

Sharon flicked her tongue against Madeline's clit.

Madeline came hard.

She came with her hand in Sharon's tresses, all fingers clenched around the other woman's hair, nails scraping against the woman's scalp. Her mouth agape as shrill moans ebbed out, the feeling coursing through her and then subsiding, slowly.

Everything, every trouble and every petty annoyance, had blissfully slipped her mind, and all she could focus on was trying to breathe through the feeling of near explosion.

Sharon kissed Madeline's inner thigh, the wet lips soft and comforting as they pressed into Madeline's skin with adoration.

Then the brunette crawled up from the junction of Madeline's thighs, the woman warm and heavy as she nestled atop Madeline and bestowed another warm kiss to Madeline's neck. Madeline spread her legs even more and then entangled them around Sharon's middle, happy to pull her lover's body closer.

The other woman leaned in and captured Madeline's lips.

"Good morning," Sharon mumbled between another heavy kiss, the woman's voice husky.

Madeline smiled and trailed her fingers down the woman's spine, "Morning." She was thankful Sharon had been able to stay the night.

…

_Paragon__ was packed; the maître d' a fluster as she buzzed to and fro with a boisterous smile, the bar blaring upbeat jazz and almost overbooked with waiting customers chatting in high tones and nibbling generously on the spiced nuts situated in trays along the bar counter in a fashion that belied strategy._

_Sharon took an appreciative sip of the Riesling she had ordered as she waited with Madeline Morgan for a table. The bar stools were high and Sharon had to cross one leg over the other, the hem of her dress sliding up from her knees and exposing an inch of her bare thighs. She leaned her elbow on the bar counter, her eyes on Madeline and the identical pose. The other woman caressed the sides of the identical glass of Riesling she had in her palm, polished nails and a Cheshire smile that matched the intimate, evening light throughout the restaurant. Madeline leaned in close for conversation, the woman's sharp mouth curled around a familiar smile. _

_Sharon smiled back and leaned towards the lawyer in co conspiracy, the scent of perfume more poignant the closer she was to the other woman. A voluptuous scent that clung heavy to skin, strong when Sharon had leaned in to kiss the other woman's cheek in greeting, reminiscent of the way it felt to lie naked with the other woman in bed, only skin and sweat and the remnant of perfume between them. _

_The red-head had let her hair down, the red color starker and more vivid in the light of the bar, curls coiled in among other curls, impossible to gather where one ended and another began, bouncy when the lawyer moved her head to sip the wine in her glass. _

_Sharon appreciated the dark navy dress the other woman had chosen, sleeveless and adorned waistline. The back was exposed, the line slipping just above Madeline's shoulder blades. Armani, if Sharon's wasn't mistaken, the shoes suede pumps in black. Madeline had replaced her usual gold necklace with antiquated, agate earrings instead, the gold amber flickering occasionally when they caught the light. _

_The Riesling was dry upon Sharon's tongue, the glass with condensed drops of water on its sides and chill against her fingers when she lifted it to her lips. _

_There was a peculiar and satisfying freedom that came with dating the other woman, surprising really and maybe then not _that_ surprising when Sharon mused about it._

_Sharon found herself smiling and laughing in the lawyer's company, genuinely feeling exhilarated and in high spirits. The hand Madeline consistently lay on Sharon exposed knee was a warm welcome tonight. The touch was exciting as it tingled and warmed, possessive in the intimate way it was interpreted by others, and even knowing this, Sharon wanted the hand no place else than on her knee. _

_When her thoughts deviated and took a detour to other places she wouldn't mind Madeline's hand either, her lower abdomen simmered with arousal at the prospect and Sharon quickly took two prolonged gulps of her wine to douse the heat that warmed her cheeks. The Riesling only went to her head, a light buzz and she knew from Madeline's stare that she was doing a poor job of hiding her feelings. _

_Feeling bold beyond comparison, Sharon leaned further in and then captured Madeline's lips in a soft, brief kiss, able to taste the wine in the shared touch. There was something smooth and silky about Madeline's lips; the other woman's mouth delectable in a way Sharon had never really felt about lips before, or at least not in a long time. Plush to the point of butter soft, pliable and moist, slightly cold from sipping chill wine and salty from nipping salted peanuts. _

_Sharon leaned back with a satisfied, somewhat shy smile, altogether enthralled that she had managed to surprise the other woman._

"_Captain Raydor?"_

_Sharon's stomach dropped at her rank, the gruff tone unmistakable. _

_She turned her head at the couple being seated next to her, two bar stools vacated. _

"_Captain Taylor," Sharon greeted the officer from Robbery/Homicide, her tone smooth and sincere._

_The man smiled back in the same practiced, faintly conniving smile he had always directed at her, his wife at his shoulder with a curious glance. Madeline's hand was still on Sharon's knee, warm and comforting – and leaving no doubt behind for the couple, even if they had not witnessed the kiss. _

"_It's commander, now," Taylor told her, the proud, self-indulgent smirk not to miss._

_Sharon already knew this – she did not work in internal affairs for nothing – and yet, she knew the promotion was not yet public knowledge and that Chief Pope had yet to actually sign the upgrade in the Robbery/Homicide captain's rank._

"_Well," Sharon smiled, her hand finding Madeline's hand on her own knee and slipping between the woman's fingers, "congratulation, commander."_

_The man beamed, his wife's expression identical._

_They exchanged further pleasantries and Sharon introduced Madeline, aware that the squint Taylor tried to mask was fully aware of context. For god's sake, the man knew her husband – her separated, absent husband, she reminded herself. _

"_Another lawyer, huh," Taylor joked, dark eyes briefly on Sharon's crossed legs and Madeline's hand._

_The joke fell flat, well mostly, the awkward cough from Taylor's wife mixing with Madeline's high chuckle. Sharon only cleared her throat with a hum, and then tried to adopt a serene expression even if she felt like perfecting her lips into a snarl. _

_Relief was sharp when the maître d' finally declared a table ready for two; Sharon and Madeline quickly bid the couple farewell and then strode to a table in the back with their half empty glasses of Riesling. Madeline steered Sharon with a warm, guiding hand to her back, at the low point of her spine. The gesture was calming and the table was thankfully far away from the bar._

"_What a git," Madeline commented the moment they were out of hearing range, the two of them sitting down at a white clothed table, a delicate flower arrangement in the middle and new candles burning. _

_Sharon couldn't help the chuckle, "Oh, you have no idea."_

"_I know the git practically asphyxiated on his own spittle when he mentioned his promotion."_

_Sharon squeezed Madeline's hand, inexplicable happy for the woman's company. _

_They scooted their chairs closer, and then with menu cards open in front of them, the conversation continued, _

"_So," Madeline pursed her lips in contemplation, "I guess you are _out_ at work, hmm."_

_Sharon smiled, "I am in internal affairs, Counselor, the grapevine has never been remotely compassionate where it concerns me; they already think I am playing for the other team."_

_Madeline shook her head, amused, "I never thought it would be possible but you, darling, are more unpopular than even me."_

"_I don't need to be popular," Sharon admitted, "in fact, being popular would only stand in my way. I do much better with unpopular. Being feared and gossiped about, it's a freedom in some aspects. I'm free to be a bitch."_

"_I do so enjoy you when you are a right bitch," Madeline retorted with a wry tone._

"_I bet you do," Sharon pursed her lips._

"_You know," Madeline grinned in a conspicuous manner, "I'm certain you are about to be popular in someone's fantasy, requisite girl on girl play. That commander git got a good look in."_

_Sharon felt her throat closing up at the notion, "Please, don't ruin my appetite."_

_Madeline laughed and then leaned in to whisper, "At least you are popular in my dreams, hmm."_

_Sharon smiled, her eyes on the menu as she felt her cheeks warm up. _

_Under the table she felt Madeline's fingers entwine with her own. _

…

Madeline rolled Sharon onto to her back, the other woman easily pinned down with a loose grip around slim wrists, easily muffled with a hard kiss – and then easily excited and roused with two fingers pushed into her vagina – Madeline's fingers embedded deep in the woman's wet, velvety core, inner muscles slick with moisture.

Madeline curled the tip of her fingers and caressed the insides before she withdrew them, and then she licked the coating off her fingers, a challenging eyebrow at the woman beneath her. Sharon pursed her mouth, wry amusement beneath rosy cheeks and reddened lips. Madeline kept her eyes on her lover, and then strategically slid her fingers along Sharon's inner thigh, leaving an invisible trail of wetness on the skin. Madeline trailed the pad of her index finger around Sharon's clit, purposefully skirting the bud, the woman's expression on the brink of impatience.

She kissed Sharon again, drew the woman's soft bottom mound in between her teeth and bit down till she heard the growl in the woman's chest, naked breasts arching into Madeline, nipples hardened in thrill.

"I am going to make you come so hard," Madeline told her police captain, "so hard, sweetheart."

…


	4. Chapter 4

…

**Part 4**

…

"It's a curious thing," Madeline commented casually, her index finger tracing the span of Sharon's exposed back; tracing an invisible, imaginary line from the point of one shoulder top to the other shoulder, the skin over the deltoid musculature freckled and slightly red from the evening sun earlier in the day.

Madeline traced her finger back to the middle of her lover's neck and then softly touched the expanse of her lover's spine, mesmerized by the naked glistening skin. The way her lover radiated heat; warm thick heat that was tangible when Madeline ghosted her hand across Sharon's back, savoring the aftermath of their lovemaking.

The pale color of nude skin, freckles and the sunburn that only covered the top of Sharon's back, reddish line after the dress that had swooped considerably down in the back. The evening sun had been warm and dinner on the sun deck of Madeline's apartment a treat to bring in the weekend, the other woman the perfect person to celebrate winning in court with. They had gossiped and teased each other, enjoying scampi with an Australian white wine Sharon had picked and bought for the occasion.

Madeline's finger moved between the other woman's shoulder blades, down the lumbar part where the line curved inwards before Madeline ended the journey with all five fingers on the top of one buttock. Madeline's own fingers were noticeably tan against the pale skin of Sharon's buttock, the contrast strangely appealing.

Sharon Raydor, gloriously naked and relaxed, lying on her stomach with her head on her crossed elbows as she hummed in the same casual tone Madeline had tried to perfect. The woman seemed to be far away, her hair like a halo on the mattress beneath her, wholly unconcerned about the world.

Madeline put her whole palm against Sharon's skin, soft flesh beneath her touch as she softly, affectionately, followed the natural swell of her lover's behind, to the back of one thigh and the up again to cup the mound.

"What's a curious thing?" Sharon asked when Madeline made no further attempt to expound upon her comment.

"You," Madeline teased, cupping that one buttock again, "You are a curious thing."

Sharon chuckled, "You have to be more specific, counselor."

Madeline smiled to herself.

"Maybe you are more of a contradiction, then."

Sharon turned her head, her eyes on Madeline as she waited for a clarification. Her expression was shrouded in the shadows of the bedroom, her hair like a cowl from within two pinpoints shone. Madeline moved up along the bed and then lay down next to the other woman, outstretched on her side with her elbow taking the brunt of the weight of her head. and upper torso. Almost face to face with the other woman who still lay on her stomach, head still resting on her arms, head turned to regard Madeline.

The bedroom was aglow in candle light - an orange glow that made shadows elongate in among her lover's features, intimate in the closed space.

"There is something about you today," Madeline began and then she smiled when Sharon moved, coming to lie in an identical position, one of the woman's legs slipping between Madeline's as they lay on their sides facing each other.

Sharon only smiled, her hand swooping over Madeline's waist, the palm resting against Madeline's side and the slender slightly chill fingers tingling as they danced on Madeline's skin in light touches.

"Something?" Sharon repeated, the tone playful and the smirk at the corner of her mouth telling.

Madeline edged closer, enjoying the warmth from the other woman's skin the closer she was.

"There's something you are not telling me – something that's put you in an extraordinarily good mood."

Sharon only nodded, another smug smile dancing on her lips, "Multiple orgasms will put anyone in a good mood," the woman retorted, sly as a fox.

Madeline traced the outline of the woman's collar bones, for a brief moment happy to rest her eyes on naked skin.

When she looked up there was a more serious expression on Sharon's face.

…

_Madeline Morgan brought her flowers on occasion, the gifts of flora a gesture Sharon had yet to figure out the meaning of – the gesture even more obscure when a flamboyant bouquet, arranged diligently, arrived at Sharon's office on more than one occasion; neatly on her desk in among folders, files and empty coffee cups. The first time it happened, Sharon had stopped in her office door way, entranced and frantic, not entirely sure what she felt about this overt display of affection. The card however, was too vague for any outsider to comprehend, and somehow that crooked smiley next to Madeline's scribbly handwriting only brought a smile to Sharon's face. _

_The colors varied; one day it was bright orange that raised more than one eyebrow in the offices of Internal Affairs, and then the next time it was deep red – not unlike the color you declared your love in – but thankfully it was not roses. It was tulips instead. Red tulips that took Sharon's breath away; red tulips that made Sharon's detectives smile secretly at her as if they had been clued in on the mystery of the universe. _

_This time, opening her front door clad in a pair of jeans and a woolen shirt by Armani, mint green and loose-fitting, Sharon was surprised to be greeted with yet another bouquet of flowers, the lawyer standing with the big display in her arms accompanied by a smug, self-satisfied smile. _

_This time it was roses._

_A large bouquet of freshly cut roses, cream-colored and finely tinged with burgundy edges – and somehow the bouquet felt peculiar in Sharon's arms. They were beautiful, smelled fresh when Sharon ducked her head and sniffed, green foliage reminding her of a garden full of flowers, rain newly fallen. The special way the flowers carried the scent of freshness and yet the sweet underlying tint of perfume. _

_Sharon barely registered anything besides the roses in her arms, captivated in that strange, peculiar way she had yet to determine what truly meant. _

_Madeline, cheerful and unconcerned, sauntered inside the apartment, a quick kiss to Sharon's cheek in greeting before the woman took off her belted trench coat, the black garment haphazardly flung out to land on the hallway table. The woman grinned at Sharon's mirror and Sharon still stood by her front door, transfixed between staring at the roses and then at Madeline._

_The lawyer had her hair up in her usual chignon, the few errant curls framing a sharp face that softened when the woman looked back at Sharon. _

_Sharon hugged the bouquet to her, her breath mingled with a tingly feeling – anticipation? Thrill? Fear? _

_Madeline smiled over her shoulder, amused Sharon could tell, and then the woman discarded her shoes and walked, barefoot, to the kitchen, one brown bag in hand and swaying hips that beckoned as much attention as the roses. _

_Sharon closed the front door in a stupor and then followed the other woman into the kitchen. _

_Madeline was in the middle of offloading the brown bag, pulling out a bottle of wine - expensive wine by the look of it, Italian, deeply red and a fine vintage. Again, the gesture of another gift only settled in Sharon's abdomen with a peculiar taste, tingly and foreign. _

"_You are awfully quiet," Madeline commented with another smile, this one wide and flashy. _

_Sharon shook her head and then smiled back, "It's been a long, horrible week."_

_Madeline nodded as she pulled the rest of her gifts out of the bag: scented massage oil that Sharon raised her eyebrow at, a large bar of foreign dark chocolate and a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water. _

"_How horrible?" Madeline turned around and then stared blatantly at Sharon, the woman's back to the kitchen counter, hips out in an attractive angle._

_Sharon busied herself with finding a vase for her flowers, opening her cabinets and answering over her shoulder, "Oh, just the usual seventy-two hour cycle of hell. Only I've had three cases in one week, on top of each other. All officers who just happened to shoot off their weapon under dubious circumstances and in the middle of the night nonetheless."_

_Madeline shook her head, "And it's not even Halloween, hmm."_

_Sharon hummed, and then she looked at the flowers again._

_She was still transfixed – or maybe the word was stupefied – by the color of the roses. Two very different hues and yet the colors flowed seamlessly into each other, the petals of each rose spotless. _

"_I still can't believe you manage to engage neutrally with all those trigger-happy hotheads," Madeline said, her arms crossed and her gaze sharp, "If I were in your shoes, I would have every single cop thrown off the force before my second cup of morning coffee."_

_Sharon ran the tap and moved the vase under the spray of water, watching the water fill up the transparent container. She answered Madeline with a dry tone, "I think you are being a bit too narrow-minded in your view of the LAPD; not every police officer is a _trigger-happy hothead_."_

"_I haven't yet met one officer decent enough to warrant another description," Madeline fired back._

_Sharon lifted her eyebrow and gave the other woman a wry glance, "I should feel offended."_

_Madeline approached Sharon in a slow, measured gait, the red-head's smile only widening in some form of perverse pleasure. "Oh, you – Captain Sharon Raydor – are in a category for yourself, entirely."_

_Sharon pretended she didn't see the smug smile in the lawyer's expression, her eyes once again on the bouquet of roses, fitting in her glass vase without a trim. They were gorgeous._

_When Sharon turned around, the vase with the bouquet in her arms, Madeline stood in front of her._

_The red-head, in another surprising gesture, bypassed the roses and molded her mouth with Sharon's in a kiss._

_The kiss turned into something else; different in the way it spiraled through Sharon's body, her stomach like the string of a violin being drawn, vibrations quivering with anticipation and fulfillment. _

_It continued with the same breath of anticipation that tingled throughout Sharon's entire body, the same momentum that usually painted desperation but in the presence of Madeline it only became passion – affection and desire, playfully mingled. _

_Sharon quickly put the vase on the kitchen counter, her free hands slipping around Madeline's neck and her fingers meeting at the woman's nape._

"_I brought massage oil," the lawyer breathed, cocky voice. _

"_I can see that," Sharon retorted, her own voice deep. _

_Madeline then slipped her palms under Sharon's shirt, a hard grasp around Sharon's hips that brought them closer; hips against hips, breasts flush against breasts albeit clothed. _

"_I want to fuck you here, in your kitchen."_

_The crass words only fluttered in Sharon's lower abdomen, promising and enticing. _

"_I'd like that," Sharon nodded, her breath caught in her throat when the other woman easily slipped the button to Sharon's jeans out of its hole, and then drew the zipper down. _

_Madeline brought Sharon to the edge first; the lawyer made sure Sharon came first, the other woman's fingers keen against Sharon's sex, titillating as digits slid into her center, the motion on the cusp of being rough, and then slick, wet, fingers easily caressed Sharon's clit, unbearable tension that sprung up so quickly it astounded her. _

_Madeline made her come embarrassingly quick. _

_So, maybe the concept of flowers only seemed foreign and peculiar because when Sharon thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time someone had brought her flowers. Madeline brought with her an entirely new perspective, which in hindsight Sharon knew was peculiar because the concept of love, in this guise and in this form, was foreign to her. _

_There was attentiveness, fondness and lust, mixed together till she couldn't distinct one from the other. _

_With Madeline there was not even a residue of the boredom, the feeling of inadequacy that Sharon had become used to with her separated husband. Jack rarely understood the underlying purpose of love, too engrossed with himself. _

_The red-head felt like a reprieve. _

…

"I'm thinking of divorce," Sharon said in a curious voice that Madeline was sure held too much emotion and yet seemed peculiarly uninflected.

"Not because of me," Madeline teased with a chuckle, running a hand over the woman's hips and down one buttock, squeezing.

Sharon smiled secretively, another smile that would take days to interpret. The woman always turned out to be a mystery when Madeline thought she had figured every facet out.

"I want to adopt Rusty – if he wants to."

"Your foster son?"

The woman nodded.

"That makes sense," Madeline mused, "if you want to adopt the boy on your own without any involvement from Jack."

Sharon's voice turned low, "I don't want Jack anywhere near Rusty. I don't want that connection – not to Rusty, and not to me anymore."

"I see," Madeline replied, not sure how to react to this news. Instead she trailed her hand up and down Sharon's hip again.

Sharon rearranged herself, one leg sneaking more profoundly between Madeline's legs, breasts more firmly pushed into Madeline and that arm snug even more firmly around Madeline's waist. Madeline gave in to the gesture and edged closer to the other woman, tangling their legs further, naked skin against naked skin.

"So, does this mean you will be free? Completely free this time, I mean?" Madeline asked, nuzzling her lips close to Sharon's shoulder.

"I have always been free."

Madeline smiled to herself, "To an extent, yes. But you have to admit, Sharon, that your so-called marriage has always been in your way. Legally as well as emotionally."

Sharon remained silent.

"Like a dead weight."

Sharon breathed too sharply at the comment.

Madeline kissed her lover's shoulder again to soothe the harsh words, her hand tightening around Sharon's hand, nestled between their bodies.

"It's always easier to pick apart your decisions in hindsight," Sharon mumbled, the words sounding unsure.

Madeline nodded against the woman's shoulder, "Which is why the present is so much more appealing than picking apart your past. You made the best of a horrible thing. Jack's the one missing out – per usual."

Sharon squeezed Madeline's hand back.

"I guess this is another event I have yet to celebrate with you," Madeline chuckled, trying to bring forth a bit of humor.

"I thought tonight was all about celebrating my promotion," Sharon retorted and Madeline was sure the woman was smiling, "however many times we seem to have celebrated it already."

Madeline hummed, "I look forward to celebrating you being promoted to commander one day. You know, a real promotion to celebrate, and not simply you being transferred to the goon squad."

Sharon smiled warm and soft, "Oh, I would love to celebrate that."

"I just want you to _command_ me around in the bedroom, that's all," Madeline teased.

"If you say so, counselor."

Sharon's mouth was warm and smiling when she kissed Madeline.

…


End file.
